wading boots

[honda 450]

Those who have got to know me, on the old site & this new one, will know that i fish small water only, the tougher the better. In the last post Heading Upwards, the photo,s show, what i would call tough wading. I have waded a lot tougher that this. Hour after hour, your feet being twisted & tourchered, in this uneven, unforgiven surroundings. Where a lot of cheap wading boots, most likely woundn,t last long & become a danger, to your well being.
There are no room for mistakes here. But i feel that my boots, are not up to the job in hand, i have a pair of Orvis & simms. The Simms are the newer guide boots. Tough boots they are, but this kind of wading each time, i head out, might not have been on list, for the people who designed the boots.??
I would say that the boundries, for surport & general toughness , have been pushed a little further that the general boots are designed for. (( Maybe a lot )).
I had a pair of these a while back in my hand.

http://www.jackson-sports.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5623

My first thoughts, where, these are one tough boot, next thought was, if only i had them with a felt sole & they where built for wading in water for countless hours.
These boots are built for what the mountains can throw at them & still come back for more.
I think every time i,m out, if only i had the surport & toughness of these mountain hiking boots, life would be so much more safer & enjoyable on stream, having the trust of your boots, to take you in & out in style.
I have looked at the Korkers with the different soles, a very good idea, but no better than the simms on build.

I have thought of getting,((( russells to build a pair of boots for my needs )), as the wading boot they have, doesn,t have the surport in the uppers, & most likely like all wading boots after a while will twist on the rocks, leading to feet being sore & the feeling of being worn out, after a hard day on stream.

http://www.russellmoccasin.com/index.html

Any Thoughts, on Boots?????

We all talk about Rods, lines, ect. The most important to me is what is on the foot.

[adam]

Wow, you posted two types of boots, one in each direction...

Be careful of Sportivas, they run narrow, make sure you can at a minimum, try them on before you buy or be able to send them back in exchange.

I've run the gammut on boots a long time ago. I'm a old climber, hiker, surfer and still have the mind of one, feet too. I've hiked ten miles in my flip flops, nice flip flops mind you. Dirt trails with some rock hopping. I've also used Orvis, Simms and Patagonia boots. I'm not sure who is doing the purchasing now for Patagonia but some years ago, it appeared that Yvon himself was. Their wading boots had a straight up alpine climbing boot look to them and they were very lightweight.

Both things important.

If you are walking boulders and un-even rock and ground, you will want support. Smearing footholds in your flexible shoes or sandals will leave your feet and ankles sore. You know this stuff. A heavy boot will work well to support your feet while in ackward positions but heavy is no fun a long way away from the car.

I'm not on a Patagonia kick but I would look there. I haven't looked in the last couple of months but I didn't like the looks of the latest offering in wading boots. Looks aren't everything though. As a matter of fact, I'll take comfort over looks anyday.

If I were going to purchase, and I am going to in the next few months, I'm going with the Simms Guide boots, the ones that look like mountaineering boots but I will be trying them on first, at a minimum, walking around in the store.

If you can find some new old stock Patagonia felts, I can absolutely recomend them without reservation. Walked a million miles in them, rock hopped, cliff climbed, happy.

I do like your idea of purchasing an alpine boot and re-sole them in felt or 5.10 rubber.

I really like that idea.

[Gerard]

Cabelas use to sell those “lace up” boots with felt soles (combination between a hunting and wading boot) many moons ago. That was one of my all time favourite wading/hiking boots for stream fishing. I had a pair that lasted me close on 7 years – had it resoled twice, but finally had to retire them as the sole support started cracking and the seams finally gave way.

Right now I am using the Simms Guide Boots and they are good. I also have a pair of the original Simms Aqua Stealth guide boots that are as fine a wading boot as you are likely to find. Without going into the aqua stealth vs felt debate, I think those original boots were better than what I’ve seen being produced today.

[JB in SC]

I attempt to stay out of the little streams as much as possible. I'm giving some thought to a pair of either Patagonias or Simms Headwaters with rubber sticky soles.

I have a pair of Chota felt soles, but they are like walking on ball bearings in leaves and pine needles.

[FFCOL]

New member. For the last 2 seasons I've used Simms Riversheds with studded Aquastealth's and have loved them. They are light enough with good support and fairly durable. I've been told the new Goodyear soles are as good, but have not tried them. The Riversheds will be my next boot again. Iv'e seen a deal for Headwaters rubber sole for $80, depending on your size. PM me if you want.

Bryan

[adam]

If I could find these in size 11, I would own a pair.

Bite "Converter" Fishing Boot.

[attachment=0:2h5slk2c]Bite_Converter.jpg[/attachment:2h5slk2c]

[mikeytwoshoes]

why?

[trout-nut]

I have the simms studed felt soles and I'm probably going to get a pair of the new vibram soles this spring.

[adam]

why?

Good boots.

Comfortable, the sole is some sort of different sticky compound.

I know a guy who has them.

They don't make them any more.

[Sean]

i've got a pair of simms freestones with the vibram soles. only thing i regret is not spending more and getting a lighter pair of boots but the freestones are wider boots and fit my feet well. I'm never going back to felt or anything else. these vibram soles have the best grip i've experienced yet.